BESA Ice HOCKEY SKATING DEVELOPMENT CAMP RIGA

Besa's Skating Philosophy

Besa has earned the reputation of being able to successfully hone the skating skills of the world’s top professional hockey players. Although it is satisfying to be recognized by the best, he recognizes that it was the fundamentals these pros received as amateurs that laid the foundation for success.

Through the thousands of training hours Besa accumulated working with his professional and amateur students, a basic philosophy emerged: Any player of any ability can improve performance by focusing on what I believe are the four most essential aspects of skating; balance, efficiency, speed, and agility.

• Balance: A deep understanding and control of core positioning and weight distribution during low and high intensity skating movements, while managing edges in relationship to the ice.
• Efficiency: The ability to get from point A to point B at top speed, while dispensing the least amount of energy through balanced use of complementary body parts such as the head, shoulders, hands, elbows, ankles, and toes.
• Speed: Harnessing both balance and efficiency produces a combination that allows players to cover a larger distance in less time.
• Agility: The mastery of balance, efficiency, and speed combined with quickness and power, allowing players to change direction anytime, anywhere on the ice.